Purchasers were seen carrying luggage, exchanging name cards when passing by each other, and rushing through the exhibition halls of the Canton Fair on Monday morning, the first day of the 135th session of China's landmark trade fair, which will run until May 5.
On the first day of the 135th session of the China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, over 60,000 global purchasers visited the physical exhibition halls.
By Sunday, more than 149,000 purchasers from 215 countries and regions had registered to visit the 135th session of Canton Fair, up 17.4 percent from the 134th session held in October and November 2023, the Global Times learned from the fair organizer.
With an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, the fair accommodates 28,600 enterprises attending the export exhibition and 680 firms attending the import exhibition.
One buyer from Brazil,bringing a huge suitcase with him, was rushing to the exhibition hall for new-energy vehicles (NEVs).
"The suitcase is used to hold exhibitors' brochures and business cards. I'm planning to take about 80 booklets today, which is a heavy burden if I carry them by hand," the buyer, who was in too much of a hurry to share his name, told the Global Times on Monday.
While experienced purchasers from all over the world attending the Canton Fair are trying to improve their efficiency, David Beschaftigt, a first-time Canton Fair participant from Germany, and his peers, were dazzled by the millions of products on display.
"We're looking for products that are great for selling to customers in Germany," Beschaftigt, a representative of an e-commerce platform, told the Global Times on Monday.
"It's very big here. We first look with our eyes, touch the things and check the quality. And then we can do some research if the products are interesting to sell and whether we can make profit," Beschaftigt said.
They are among the global purchasers at the Canton Fair hoping to explore the latest high-quality products for global customers.
Helpful, open to all
Exhibitors said that attending the 135th Canton Fair helps enterprises grab global orders, expand the market and help consolidate China's foreign trade and foreign investment.
"We export about $30-50 million worth of electric bicycles to the world every year, mainly to Europe and North America," Eddie Xu, sales manager at Jinhua-based Yongkang Lohas Vehicle Co, told the Global Times on Monday at the Canton Fair.
Xu said the company attends many exhibitions domestically and overseas, but the Canton Fair is the most effective one as it targets the largest customer group.
Lu Aohua, sales manager at Ji'nan-based Gweike Tech Co, echoed Xu by saying that the exhibition halls of some expos overseas are relatively small, as are the number of visitors.
"But the Canton Fair is different. It is large, and the categories of products on display are comprehensive. It's easy to set up contacts with upstream and downstream enterprises, which makes potential customer exploration easier," Lu told the Global Times on Monday at the fair.
Gweike, a manufacturer of laser cutting machines, exports about 1.2 billion yuan ($166 million) worth of products annually, mainly to the US, Turkey, Russia, Italy and some South American countries, according to Lu.
Lu also said that he feels a larger crowd of overseas purchasers have come to this edition of the Canton Fair than at the 134th session held in October and November in 2023.
Many other exhibitors shared the same feeling. One salesperson at Supcon Chemical Industry Indonesia told the Global Times that she is already exhausted from having received some 60 batches of customers by 2 pm on Monday.
The Canton Fair, often dubbed the No.1 expo in the world in terms of scale, is seen as a symbol of foreign trade that gives confidence to international commerce dealers. The fair's popularity tells of the vitality of China's foreign trade and attractiveness to global participants.
The fair is now open to all, so global exporters and importers can enjoy the dividends of China's opening-up.
More than 9.3 million overseas merchants have participated in the Canton Fair since the first session held in 1957, the Global Times learned from the Canton Fair organizer. The number of global cooperation partners comes to 195, which has strongly promoted trade and people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries and regions in the world.
China vows to pursue higher-level opening-up and to promote mutual benefits, as was announced in this year's Government Work Report.
"We will promote coordinated development of domestic and foreign trade. Major trade events will be hosted, such as the China International Import Expo, the China Import and Export Fair, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, the Global Digital Trade Expo, and the China International Consumer Products Expo," read the report.
The Canton Fair, together with other events, demonstrates China's determination to expand high-level opening-up and promotes an open world economy and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Behind these major events is the transformation and upgrading of China's economic structure.
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